Words by Bea Lizarondo Soliman
Photos by Danielle Capuyon and Christian Haw
The UP Fair, which celebrates the local music scene while raising awareness for a number of different issues, is a fun five-day-long event that is traditionally held in University of the Philippines Diliman’s Sunken Garden. Each day is organized by a different set of university-based organizations that showcases a different assemblage of artists and promotes different advocacies.
Last Valentine’s Day, UP Economics Society, in partnership with UP Underground Music Community, hosted Roots: UP Fair Thursday, and the cause they chose to bring to light was the importance of mental health. Is there any other event you can attend where you will be both entertained by performances and be woken up by the issues of the country? We don’t think so! However, for those who are still not convinced, here are five reasons why attending Roots: UP Fair is and will always be a good idea:
5. You can watch local artists perform live.
Photo: UP Fair
UP Fair is the perfect platform for local musical acts to share their works with a wider audience and for attendees to discover artists that fit right into their playlists! Last February 14, Roots: UP Fair brought out Amara, Son of a Peach!, With Fingers Crossed, Stomachine, Wish Sticks, area25, Shirebound and Busking, Capacities, Better Days, This Band, I Belong to the Zoo, Munimuni, the Ransom Collective, Imago, Never the Strangers, South Border, Mayonnaise, Rivermaya, Hale, and Franco. Where else can you watch all of these talented acts for just the low price of P200 or under?
4. You can fulfill your food cravings.
Why waste your time pining over food from long-lined fast food chains or fully-booked restaurants when you can find all of your favorite food being sold in one big event? The food stalls at the fair sell barbecue, burgers, crepes, fried chicken, fried oreos, fries, hotdogs, shawarma, siomai, sisig, takoyaki, waffles and many, many more. We can guarantee that whatever flavor your taste buds call for you will be able to find the appropriate satisfier for you at the fair!
3. You can try out the fair rides.
If you’re one of those attendees looking for a thrill-seeking or senses-heightening experience at the event other than that offered by the musical performances, Roots: UP Fair has you covered! The fair offers the Galleon, Swinger, Octopus, and the Ferris Wheel – all which can surely provide you with that exhilarating feeling you’re looking for!
2. You can share the same excitement with other attendees.
Photo: UP Fair
There is nothing more invigorating than being surrounded with people who share the same energy as you, almost as if you all are beneficially feeding off of each other’s vitality. In this event, you’ll surely be surrounded with people who are as excited to sing to the well-known songs of local artists, who are as satiated due to the abundance of appetizing food in the fair grounds, and who are just overall glad to have found the perfect event to celebrate the season of love in!
1. You can learn about different advocacies.
The overarching theme of this year’s UP Fair is Rak N’ Rally. From the theme itself, it can be seen that this event is not just an avenue for attendees to watch local performers live but also an avenue for attendees to become more aware on the different social issues that are happening within the country, such as the state of Lumad schools and the continuing fight against sexual harassment.
The focus advocacy of Roots: UP Fair for this year, however, is the importance of mental health and battling the stigma that its discussions are too often surrounded with. With these in mind, we can say that we are so excited to see what’s in store for Roots: UP Fair next year.
